SEO Paired with Google Ads: How, Why, When, and in What Way to Combine These Efforts?

Do you remember a time when a good offer was enough to attract customers, make money, and live a decent life? Exactly, neither do I. Since ancient times, advertising has been the engine of trading with its form evolving over time. Nowadays, regardless of whether you operate online or offline, you advertise on the internet. And what is the best way to do so – SEO or SEM? As you probably know, the opinions are divided. Today, however, I want to show you that both approaches can be combined. And that it’s not that difficult!

The text will be split into two parts. The first is theory. The second, as you might guess, is practice. One without the other does not exist, so it really is worth reading the entire text. We will take a closer look at both SEO and SEM to help you understand:

• how they work,
• their advantages and disadvantages,
• how to use them in practice.

PART I – THEORY

SEO and Google Ads basics: what are they and how do they work?

An introduction to SEO and Google Ads will help you understand how the two can work together to attract more customers to your website. You will learn the basics of SEO and Google Ads, discover the differences between them, and how to choose the best solution for your business. Next, we will move on to practical aspects. I will show you how to use Senuto, a great tool for SEO and content marketing, also in the context of ads and paid activities.

SEO Definition: The Key to High Search Engine Rankings

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to achieve high positions in Google search results. SEO activities include both technical optimization of the site and its content to make them attractive to users and search engines. High positions in search results translate to increased visibility of the site, leading to more traffic and acquiring new customers.

Important elements in SEO are:

• Keywords, i.e., researching and using the right phrases that potential customers type into the search bar,
• Search Intent, i.e., understanding what lies behind the keywords people use (looking for information or wanting to buy a product?),
• Content, i.e., creating valuable, engaging content that meets users’ needs,
• Technical Aspects, such as page loading speed optimization, mobile-friendliness, URL structure, etc.

Google Ads: the power of paid online ads

Google Ads is an advertising platform that allows the creation and management of paid ads on the web. Google Ads can be displayed in:

• search results,
• websites,
• mobile apps,
• YouTube.

With Google Ads, you can precisely target your audience, control your advertising budget, and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. Successful Google Ads campaigns can increase sales, generate leads, or raise brand awareness.

How SEO and Google ads work: Google algorithm and website positioning

The Google algorithm is a set of rules and factors that determine how websites are ranked in search results. SEO activities aim to improve a site’s organic positions, i.e., those that are not the result of paid ads. In contrast, Google Ads allows the purchase of paid positions in search results, which are displayed in various places on the results page.

In practice, both SEO and Google Ads have their advantages and disadvantages. SEO activities are usually more long-term and require more engagement but yield lasting results in the form of high positions in search results. On the other hand, Google Ads allow for quick visibility in search results while depending on the current advertising budget.

What Do You Gain by Combining SEM and SEO?

1. You combine short-term actions with long-term ones. SEM allows you to instantly increase traffic to your site, while SEO builds lasting visibility and authority in organic search results.
2. You test and optimize actions, investing more wisely. SEM campaign results can provide valuable data for optimizing SEO strategies, such as the most effective keywords and types of content.
3. You fully utilize display spots available in SERP (Search Engine Results Page). With SEM, you can occupy paid spots at the top of search results, while SEO helps achieve higher positions in organic results, increasing the chances of users clicking on your result and visiting your site.

How Do Google Ads Affect SEO and Vice Versa?

Google Ads and SEO support each other, creating a powerful combination in a digital marketing strategy.

Here’s how Google Ads impacts SEO:

• Google Ads campaigns can instantly increase traffic to your site. More traffic from ads can lead to higher user interaction rates.
• Campaigns provide additional information about keywords. Running Google Ads allows for quick testing of different keywords’ effectiveness. Campaign data can help optimize SEO content to better meet user needs.
• With Google Ads campaigns, you increase your brand’s visibility. This leads to more organic searches for your brand, translating to better results in organic search rankings.

But it also works the other way around.

Good SEO practices, such as fast page loading, responsive design, and valuable content, enhance your site’s quality. High-quality pages can lower Google Ads campaign costs and improve the Quality Score. Sounds like a good way to get better ad positions and lower CPC.

Additionally, sites that perform well in organic search build greater credibility. When users see your site in both organic and paid results, trust in the brand increases, leading to higher conversion rates.

It’s also worth remembering that SEO is a long-term investment that builds lasting search engine visibility. When your site achieves higher organic positions, your Google Ads campaigns can target more specialized, competitive keywords. This way you’ll use your budget more effectively.

SEO or Google Ads? Which solution is right for you?

The simplest answer:

Choose SEO if you aim for long-term benefits, organic traffic, and have a limited budget.

Opt for Google Ads when you need immediate results, are promoting new products/services, operate in a competitive industry, or want to quickly test something.

However, if you want to build a sustainable strategy – combine both activities. This way, you maximize visibility, test and optimize actions, and build a strong, trusted brand.

PART II – PRACTICE

So why this theoretical introduction? I want to show you how to build your market advantage online. Today, it’s not about choosing one solution over another. Instead, it’s all about synergy.

Business is a system of interconnected elements. All parts influence each other. This also applies to SEM and SEO, which are branches of online marketing long separated from each other.

Meanwhile, it turns out that you can use SEO and content marketing tools, like Senuto, to run paid ads more efficiently.

How to Use Senuto for SEM?

For SEM specialists, the most important Senuto modules are:

• Visibility Analysis
  In this module, by entering a domain address, category, or single URL, you will see a list of keywords generating the most traffic. You will also learn the number of phrases in the TOP 3/10/50 in the search engine, verify the effects of your SEO actions, and plan any further work.
• Keyword Explorer
  Here you will see what users are searching for on Google and what is the intent behind each keyword. Understanding these needs will help you create an offer and content that not only attract traffic but also turn internet users into paying customers.

Now I will describe specific applications of Senuto in SEM.

#1 – Keyword Analysis

Wondering which phrases to use in your paid ads but don’t know where to get such information?

You can, of course, observe what is happening in the market. You can also use the Senuto Keyword Explorer. There you will find information such as:

• average monthly search volume,
• variations of the basic keyword,
• average CPC,
• keyword difficulty.

This report is your source of knowledge about the potential behind a given keyword.

The rule is quite simple: if a keyword is highly competitive in SEO, it will usually be the same for Google Ads. This means high CPC rates, which everyone wants to avoid.

#2 – Identifying trends

Do you want to optimally manage your advertising budget and avoid waste? In that case, you probably know that there’s no point in setting ads for phrases that – even temporarily – have no potential.

So how do you choose keywords that make sense and are timely?

You can also use the Keyword Explorer for this. Look at the highlighted elements of the report:

In this simply presented way, you can immediately see that there’s no point in advertising an electric grill in winter. But April and May are your time! We collect such data in Senuto for all of the phrases in the database, so you always have a cheat sheet at hand.

At first glance, it may seem like a small, almost insignificant piece of information. And yet, for both SEM and SEO, it is very significant. It helps, among other things, to plan the publication schedule and, as you know, to advertise the right phrases at the right time.

#3 – Research and competition analysis

Knowing your competitors is important for both SEO and SEM. This way, you can:

• analyze their style and communication,
• observe the keywords they are positioning for,
• check their link profile,
• evaluate the types of ads they use.

Regarding business competition, probably every company knows who they are competing with in the market. However, there are less obvious rivals – your search engine competitors.

This is visible in the example of Senuto’s competition analysis.

Marketing agencies are not direct competitors of Senuto. They do not offer SEO and content marketing tools. However, if they offer services related to positioning or content creation, they will want to appear in Google for similar phrases and will also run Google Ads for them.

Knowing these less obvious competitors broadens your perspective and gives you the chance to approach the topic in a less conventional way. You can easily further analyze the domain found in the Visibility Analysis and learn:

• what the SEO traffic equivalent is in the competitor’s Google Ads,
• which keywords the competition is already visible for and you are not,
• which phrases you share with your competitors.

Summary

After reading the text, one important word should stick in your mind: synergy. That’s what this is all about. SEO and SEM activities complement each other, and if you understand this and can turn that knowledge into action, you’ll gain a solid competitive advantage. Even if you don’t deal strictly with SEO, don’t dismiss the knowledge provided by tools like Senuto.

About author

Iza Sykut

Content designer and content manager at Senuto. She looks for simple words to describe complex topics. She believes in the value of linguistic correctness. In her free time… she continues to write! This time on topics related to culture and theater.